Good Reads- Woodswoman

Woodswoman is a great book I found at my favorite used book store. I recently finished this wonderful book by Ecologist Anne LaBastille about her adventures in the Adirondack Mountains. She takes you with her on a journey of self discovery and wilderness survival with accounts of great beauty, harsh reality, and some humorous events. The author builds her own log cabin in the wilderness, survives winter alone, lives simply and frugally, bonds with the mountains, trees, and wildlife (a pet fox!), and explores the wilderness on foot and by canoe with her dog Pitzi. A great read in the winter, it made me appreciate the conveniences of my furnace and indoor plumbing, while at the same time inspired daydreams about adventures of my own in the quiet of the woods.

Quote:

"The glow is stronger now and a pearly pink light tinges the hills around Black Bear Lake. Three days of spring sun and the trees will leaf right out, practically bypassing that lovely, innocent period of frothy, pastel, baby-tender foliage. Instead they will turn quickly into a serious, deep green, adult covering. There is very little time for immaturity in the North Country. Life is hard, rough, and sober."

LaBastille, Anne. Woodswoman- A Young Ecologist Meets The Challenge of Living Alone in the Adirondack Wilderness. New York: Penguin Books, 1976